If you work from home like I do as a freelance writer and online marketer, you’re probably spending long hours sitting in front of your computer. While working from home is the best of all possible worlds in many ways, and the internet does indeed make the whole world your oyster; the grim truth is that so much time spent sitting is not healthy. If you aren’t motivated to work out, maybe you just need a few good reasons to get fit and a bit of help about how to do it.
Move It or Lose It
Human beings were not designed to lead the kind of sedentary lives many of us do these days, myself included. Our bodies were designed to stand erect and while one may have a nicely padded posterior as a result of too much time sitting and not enough time standing and moving—we would all be well advised to part with some of that padding by means of a regular exercise program.
Personally, I knew the time had come for me to take some sort of action about starting an exercise regime when I noticed myself grunting with effort every time I bent to tie my shoes or engaged in any type of activity. Even bringing in groceries and household supplies from the car when my wife came back from shopping had become a herculean task. The slight exertion of hauling in gallons of milk and giant sized jugs of laundry detergent had me huffing and puffing like a worn out locomotive trying to chug its way up a steep hill.
This little task, in the normal way of things, should not be considered heavy lifting. But for me, weak and flabby and out of shape from spending my days sitting at the keyboard, such simple household chores had become almost too much. Obviously, I had to tackle this problem head on and start taking care of my sadly neglected body before it was too late and I woke up one morning to discover I had morphed into something resembling a soft shell egg.
Better Late Than Never
I resolved to turn over a new leaf while I still had the strength to do it, and looked to the internet to research the best home gym reviews with an eye toward getting set up with the equipment I needed for a good workout at home.
The home gym equipment I wound up buying wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t outrageously expensive, either. After using this equipment for just three short months, I can honestly say that it has already been worth its weight in gold. The changes are nothing short of remarkable and I feel confident that as time goes on; I’ll continue to reap the benefits of a home workout routine.
Good Reasons to Exercise
For those of you who can relate to my tale of woe about how out of shape I had become but are wavering about the advisability of starting an exercise program….here are some good reasons to work out if you work from home:
- Exercise makes you happier. It’s true! Scientific research has shown that exercise releases chemicals in your brain such as serotonin and norepinephrine, which are natural mood elevators and antidepressants.
- Exercise helps stimulate your immune system and makes you less susceptible to illness and disease.
- Exercise helps to manage chronic health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Just a few minutes of aerobic exercise can lower your blood sugar by as much as 30 points!
- Exercise can help to lower your LDL, or bad, cholesterol and elevate your HDL, or good, cholesterol. Think of it this way: when you put a spoonful of shortening in a pan, it’ solid. But turn the burner on under the pan and the fat melts into a liquid form. When you exercise and get your blood warmed up and moving, the cholesterol in your arteries starts “melting” and once it’s liquefied, can be flushed out of your body.
- Exercise helps keep you from packing on too many pounds. Weight gain is all too easy when you work from home at your desk all day, so getting an adequate amount of exercise can offset the tendency to put on excess weight.
- Exercise is great for your heart, lungs and circulatory system. Keeping things moving with regular exercise is essential to good cardio and circulatory health.
Once you start an exercise regime, you’ll experience the benefits as I have and will be doing yourself a huge favor. So, make plans to start your own exercise regime and make some time to get physical!
Rick Mercado is a 30-something freelance writer and online marketer who lives quite happily with his wife on the rugged east coast of Canada’s Nova Scotia, in Halifax. He works from a home office or sometimes takes his laptop to a local coffee house for a change in scenery while working on articles for www.homegymadviser.com. Although an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hiking, kayaking and other activities, Rick is taking action to offset the effects of sitting too much with a great exercise program with his home gym workouts.